Took my 10-year old daughter to her first play AND her first visit to Italian Village...she LOVED it! Our server, Jacob, was absolutely fantastic with recommendations and answering our questions, and he made her feel like she was a total VIP!! The entire staff was consistently attentive and wonderfully accommodating...we felt like we were regulars. It was my first visit to the main level vs the upstairs traditional Italian Village, and it definitely exceeded expectations. The table across from us noticed that they had looked at the upstairs menu prior to their visit, and that the menu was slightly different...the manager didn't miss a beat and got them a menu from the upstairs venue. Definitely a Chicago gem for terrific ambiance, great food, and phenomenal service...and they were spot-on in making sure we were out the door to make our performance on time without rushing us in the least bit! And, again, HUGE kudos to our server, Jacob...you made our night! read more

I had a small family group of 7 for my husbands birthday. They were not accomodating . I called over 3 weeks in advance. AND then when we were finally there we all underwhelmed with the food. Really not worth the price. read more

One of my favorite places to go!! Love the food, especially the Pheasant-filled pasta, love the ambiance and the chef is one of the best in Chicago! All staff members, from the bar to the restaurant, are exceptional! read more

Gourmet dining in sexy / cozy decor - for everyone who wrote that this was like Cheesecake Factory decor - you've either never been to one or you are blind - I loved the decor - ! Very old school Italian- velvet seats to boot and - very sexy ( def reminds me of cirque du soleil ) and I've seen all of them in Vegas . It's intimate , and the food was amazing. Being from LA and having dined in venues by Batali, Jose Andres , Thomas Keller , etc - my husband and I have very high standards. I ordered the rack of lamb - encrusted with morel mushrooms , perfectly cooked to a medium pink as I requested , with herb lamb juices running out of the double thick cut of the rack, on a bed of al dente Israeli Cous Cous and sautéed chanterelle mushrooms. The dessert was phenomenal - goat cheese, cheesecake ( baked in a water bath - for those of you who know anything about cooking and fine dining - this results in an amazingly moist cheesecake ) with a sage / honey graham cracker crust - the perfect balance of sweet and savory - like a honey bomb cheesecake explosion in my mouth with titillation of taste buds and senses transporting you to a summer field in Provence ( the sage in the crust did this for me )- and the finale of the night - executive chef James came out to greet our table personally. Oh and did I mention the 45,000 bottle wine collection and a very knowledgeable sommelier ?? GO, GO , GO - it's a memorable dining experience .. read more

I so wish there were negative ratings available. What a tourist trap. There are so many great Italian restaurants all over Chicago that serve good food at reasonable prices. Vivere is NOT one of them. We took a young first time Chicago visitor here tonight. My husband had pleasant memories of eating upstairs in Italian Village some years ago, but since there was a 45 minute wait, we chose to eat at the street level (first floor) Vivere instead. No problems getting a table here-it was mostly empty at 6pm-for good reason. We figure everyone else had tried the upstairs place first too. The restaurant looked nice-no problems with the decor. Our waiter was at the table quickly. We ordered an appetizer-carpaccio, and for the first time in our dining out lives, we wanted to reject a dish as inedible (but didn't). Properly prepared, carpaccio is nearly transparently thin slices of fillet-raw-dressed in a variety of ways, with some greens, perhaps garlic mayonnaise and/or capers, with shaved Parmesan cheese. What we were served at Vivere was thick slices of raw eye of round beef, with a pile of tasteless undressed greens and some slices of Parmesan cheese. We've never had to salt and pepper carpaccio before (there was no salt and pepper on the tables, and my husband got up and fetched it himself since we couldn't catch the waiter's attention). It wasn't until I got home that I realized we'd been served sliced eye of round, which is vastly inferior to fillet and much cheaper, and it was so tough and rubbery we were sawing it with our dinner knives, trying to get bite sizes-there was a good sinewy piece of gristle running down one edge of every slice. What a nasty cheap trick, to substitute eye of round for fillet. Had I realized it at the time, we would have pushed our plates back and left the restaurant at that point. The entrees: the menu was rather limited but the descriptions of the dishes led us to anticipate somewhat sophisticated dishes-we hadn't yet experienced the carpaccio. Our visitor had the penne pasta dish-I wish I could say exactly what it was-but it was truly abominable. If we'd been at home, I would have dumped it into the dogs' dishes. Blegh. My risotto was OK; for $20 I was expecting something superior, but it was just rice and cheese with peas. With enough salt and pepper, it was edible. That's all I can say about it. My husband had a chicken dish which turned out to be whatever cut of the chicken it is that is attached to the drumstick. Not his favorite (but cheaper than white meat). Some sauce. 2 Brussels sprouts, quartered. Couple carrots. Very skimpy. At $20, this was a crappy value. Vivere is cleaning up. Three entrees, one appetizer, two soft drinks came to 80 bucks. Even by Chicago standards, it was outrageous. I'm figuring Vivere is charging at least 10 times the cost of the food, rather than the usual 5 or 7. The two reviews posted here aren't so bad-I'm glad those patrons had more enjoyable dinners. On Yahoo, reviewers have had terrible things to say about Vivere, and Vivere richly deserves it-I so wish we'd checked the reviews before choosing to eat here. read more

We are not picky restaurant-goers but were really disappointed in vivere. I had read the reviews so I wasn't expecting excellent food but for the price this was awful. My husband later said the worst part about that restaurant was the food. Given that's why you go to a restaurant, that's a problem! On top of that the service was mediocre, the waiters were cold and not helpful. read more

We had dinner at Vivere last night after seeing a play downtown. It was WONDERFUL. We had the tasting menu dinner with the wine pairings. The first course was a wonderful pasta dish with lemon butter sauce and lump crab meat. The second course was duck, and the third course was a Kobe beef. For dessert, I had a flourless chocolate cake and my husband had a creme brulee. Each course was outstanding - and the service was tremendous. The chef came out to introduce each course - and the sommelier presented the wine. We will definitely be back! read more

I can't believe how disappointed I was with this place. I was actually repulsed by the lingering smell throughout the entire meal. Then, I seem to have ordered the dish causing the stench. I ordered frutti di mare and had to force myself to eat more than a spoonful. My boyfriend was equally as disappointed with his food, but can stomach more than me. I still regret this waste of a night and money read more

The short story; go upstairs. The longer story; I called to make a reservation and was told the village didnt accept them, first come, first serve, but we could make a reservation for vivere. They played up how the first floor focuses more on handmade pastas and contemporary Italian cuisine. So, we made the rez for the first floor. We ordered a lovely bottle of barolo, the buffala mozz, and two seafood pastas. Nothing tasted bad, but all was of a sub par quality for what they were selling this part of the restaurant trilogy as. I had a saffron pasta with scallop, shrimp and calamari. It had one large scallop, 4 small shrimp without tails and some very rubbery calamari rings. The flavor was good, but the size and quality of the seafood was not. The other dish we had, the lump crab risotto had a bit of an identity crisis. There were a few shavings of crab on top, a swirl of pesto on the bottom and then a lump of bland risotto, with the most powerful flavor being lemon. I may have been happy with this meal at olive garden, but they were so snooty and had such high prices, I truly expected better quality dishes. I am happy to pay top dollar for great food and service, but it always upsets me when I dine somewhere with high end attitudes and sub par food. And frankly, neither are excusable. read more

Vivere's romantic atmosphere is what pulled me through their doors. But the fantastic service and wonderful butternut squash-filled ravioli will keep me coming back whenever I'm in the area. The service was simply the best. Michael was charming and knowledgable. My friends and I left feeling like regulars. He recommended both the pheasant and butternut squash ravioli. Both were absolutely delightful. As if dinner wasn't already fantastic, it only got better when I ordered dessert. Let's get one thing straight: I know cheesecake. I have had Ricotta cheesecake from Italy, Coeur de Creme from France, every flavor of cheesecake ever offered at Cheesecake Factory. It would be a massive understatement to say I've eaten my fair share of cheesecake. But I've never found something as mind-blowingly delicious as Vivere's white chocolate cheesecake. Graham crust atop a simply sweet, yet perfectly tangy syrup. The cheesecake itself is a perfect balance of creamy and dense. It's vanilla-y and gently sweet. Pure joy. No toppings are needed, the cheesecake stands on its own. Garnished with just a white chocolate straw, a slice of fresh strawberry and Mandarin orange. Simply delectable. And totally worth the splurge on calories if that's a concern. read more

We went there for dinner because it was near the office and none of us wanted to go to far after drinking on a Friday afternoon. Our server was really nice and the bottle of wine he recommended was pretty good. I had the chicken breast that was really moist - very tasty. The pork chops, ravioli and lasagna were all great. We had a wonderful time. I do have to say that I can't see this being an option for a romantic evening out. Definitely good food and great service but I can see how someone gets the Cheese Factory vibe especially with those 2-seaters on either side by the front door. read more

Service was great. Our waiter made great food and even better wine recommendations including a wonderful port with dessert. Atmosphere was very warm. We had a two person both that was nice and private. Would recommend any time. read more

As always, the food here is incredible. It's definitely the place to go before the theater because they are so good about getting you out the door on time. The decor is so fun and it's our favorite place to get a drink when in the area because the bar area is so unique. But for sure, The highlight of our dinner here last night was our fabulous waiter Marcos. He is everything you hope to find in a server but seldom do. read more

Vivere's created a new genre for dining: Italian Pedestrian. My order of handmade pasta pillows with three cheeses arrived luke warm. I don't like the resto sleight of hand where food is spread out on a flat plate so it appears generous. In this case, Vivere tried the trick and only worsened the dining experience by enlarging the food's surface area so the cream sauce could set up in an unwanted sludge. Our party of ten amusingly received a "key-hole" table in the balcony. That's where a rectangular table is pushed to a round table, so the arrangement looks like a keyhole lying down. Our tall waiter had to literally duck in and out of the kitchen door, the ceilings were so low, and rabbit-hole, hobbit-like. I almost felt obliged by the atmosphere to have vertigo on the trip down the frail stairs from the balcony. Then the narrow and dark aisle to the front door was cantered for unknown reasons. A bit too creepy for my tastes. Sorry Chicago-Land. I see from other reviews that Vivere is your Darling. Proof again that Love is blind. read more

had this fennel sausage cheese asparagus app that was very good. woman's bolognese dish was decent. my mushroom three cheese ragu ravioli was excellent. i loved the sauce, the ravioli were nice, fresh, and homemade. read more

What a great experience. The pheasant pasta was delightful. The best part of the whole experience was the staff. Marcos, our server, was super helpful, attentive, and a treat to visit with. read more

Visited Vivere for lunch with a co-worker. We were considering the upstairs dining room, but because I have a cane, the host offered to bring us the menu from upstairs along with the Vivere menu. Marcos was our waiter and he was warm, patient and a delight. I've dined at Italian Village several times over the years and have always been favorably impressed with the food and the wonderful service! read more

Outstanding service, great food! Recommend their specialty pheasant-filled pasta. Fresh, crisp Italian bread, beef soup of the day was really good. read more

We went on a friends recommendation. Traffic was bad due to an accident so we were 40min behind schedule. We called to let them know and they pushed our reservation out an hour without issue. They were also aware that we were attending a concert at Chicago theater.We arrived and were seated promptly. The decor and ambiance were excellent. The wait staff was courteous, professional and attentive. The bread was fresh and tasty. The grilled calamari was a tad more chewy than I prefer and Im not certain if that's to be expected due to it being grilled. It was still tasty. I had two major issues. The first is that they didn't clean the calamari good due to me having to remove a few pieces of the "plasticky" inner shell from my mouth. The second is the under cooked pasta. That's a huge "no-no" at any Italian (especially upscale) restaurant. I notified them of the inner shell issue, but didn't mention the under cooked pasta. The sauces and super tender scallop were pluses, but Im not certain Id recommend to others just yet. I may go again when time is not a factor. read more

Went to Vivere for lunch, and found out they had gluten free pasta. What a surprise! I was so excited. The ambiance is funky, fun and upscale, perfect for a date or a night out. The service is excellent too -- I told the hostess I was looking for a gluten free meal, and the waiter already knew when he came to my table. I asked for a simple meal - pasta, marinara sauce and chicken. They only had enough pasta for half a serving, so I asked them to add vegetables. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and had the consistency and taste of regular pasta. The sauce and other food was very fresh and tasted great. All in all, an excellent gluten free experience. I would highly recommend it. read more

My husband and I love Chicago. We were looking for the Italian Village and somehow ended up at Vivere - what a treat. The food was excellent, I had the lasagna w a delightful walnut sauce and the chef made my husband a veal parm, which was not on the menu (waiter offered - nice touch). Their marina sauce is 5 star and I thought the service was excellent. Waiter asked if we were going to the theater and I think if we had said yes, service would have been been a little quicker, but as it was, we had a leisurely most wonderful time. The homemade chocolates after dinner were an unexpected prize and I would definitely go back the next time we are in the windy city. read more

It was nice for a special occasion, but it is too pricey for me to want to visit again. Forty-two dollars for a veal chop on a bit of polenta! Oh, you get bread with that - whoopee. Tastes good. The pasta dishes are too small for an entrée but are tasty. read more

The host was very happy. She greeted me with positive energy and that set the mood for a pleasant experience. The cook who prepared my food had a great personality and was friendly. read more

Went in for lunch today. I had this linguini with a garlic and oil sauce and seafood. It was delicious! It was a little spicy from some kind of red peppers, and the seafood was really tender. My friend had the restaurant week menu, which was a good deal. She got the soup, cheese ravioli, and gelato. I got to try a bite of the ravioli and was very pleased. I will definitely come back for the pasta! Some of the best I have had in Chicago. read more

The veal chop is the BEST in the city. The decor is elegant and comfortable and the service is first class. Run, don't walk.

Way over-priced, slow service, limited menu and food was not good. The only reason to go would be if you have tickets to a show at the Bank of America Theater. Very close to that. read more

I went here a few weeks ago for a business lunch. I've been to the restaurant upstairs a few times but had never been to Vivere. When we came for lunch, we shared the fried calamari (which was outstanding) and I had the butternut squash ravioli. I thought it was delicious and everyone else enjoyed their food too. So because I enjoyed my lunch here, I recommended it for a dinner date night with my husband. Vivere did not disappoint. We had the calamari salad for an appetizer - so fresh and clean. I had the scallops and the husband had the ribeye. Both delicious. The scallops were so silky, and so good with crispy bacon, mushrooms, and cauliflower puree. We also had a dessert which was a special - a deconstructed smore. Needles to say, I think we ate every last bit on all our plates. The service too was phenomenal. Our waitress was very attentive, but not overbearing. Overall a really great experience. We will be back. read more

My husband made a reservation for us at The Village, with our one year old daughter. As this was our first time in Chicago we decided to eat close to our hotel, and so he researched this restaurant online (actually listed as kid-friendly). We came in the front door of the Village passing another family on the way in and must have got mixed around as we ended up at Vivere (and had no clue until we were leaving). We did not realize there were three different restaurants inside the door. My husband mentioned our reservation to the front desk and they said they didn't have one...which in hindsight we know why, since our reservation was actually at The Village. Noticing our casual dress and infant in stroller, it would have been nice for them to have mentioned something like "perhaps you have a reservation upstairs at the Village", or SOMETHING. We felt awkward the whole meal as the environment is a bit stiff and you can tell, not specifically kid friendly. Although the wait staff were nice about it, the food was just so-so for the expensive price. I'm so disappointed we ended up here, rather than truly trying The Village. In hindsight, the signage made it very confusing. read more

Unfortunately the great location and convenience of Vivere to the theater district seem to have made it a little complacent. At a recent Saturday night outing to the theater, we told our waiter we had a curtain at eight. He was very personable, but not very efficient. Two iced teas for members of our party arrived very late: one in the middle of the entree course, and one as we asked for the check. We arrived promptly at six for our reservation yet taking our order was delayed, and then the delays snowballed. We barely made it to the theater on time, and had no coffee or dessert either. As for the food, a seven dollar house salad is overpriced and forgettable - just some greens and dressing - that's it. The pastas were generally liked by members of our party, but mine (the ravioli) was undercooked. It was delicious, but really - can't they get it to al dente? Because of the high prices, unpolished service, and the pasta issue, I can rate Vivere no higher than two stars. read more

Dissapointing. I saw all three restaurants on "Check Please" with good reviews so I made a reservation for myself and my husband at Vivere. We arrived a little early so we went to La Cantina & The Village to see the atmosphere and become acquainted for next time and returned to Vivere where we were greeted by a welcoming gentleman & hostess and were seated promptly at a very nice spot in the main dining area, the place was empty, just a few others seated. It was downhill from there, our waiter approached did not introduce himself, explained a few entrees and left, 10 minutes later returned to ask us what we would like to order as an entree. Whoa, what happened to "Can I offer you something to drink" or "would you like to start with an appetizer?", he never offered anything to drink, no interest in serving us, I saw this rude, disinteresting, horrible beginning and immediately knew we were not in for a fine dining experience, I told my husband I wanted to leave, we told the waiter we were leaving, he stated we could order off the other menus for the other two restaurants and remain at Vivere. The menu was perfectly fine at Vivere, it was the rudeness that was intolerable. We then decided to try The Village, just upstairs. We were seated promply and our waiter's first words were "My name is Abraham and I'll be serving you this evening" gave us a moment to look at the menu and asked if we would like something to drink, what a difference! He was very friendly, professional and made us feel welcome. Dinner was saved ! We really wanted to give the Italian Village Restaurants our business, it is a shame that we could not have the same service at Vivere. The oldest Italian Restaurant in Chicago lacked good old fashioned manners at Vivere. As we we left The Village we informed the general manager for all 3 restaurants of our original reservation at Vivere and rude, disinterested service. We also informed the manager of Vivere of the same. We might return to The Village, would like to try Vivere again but not sure if we want to play Russian roulette and get stuck with an unprofessional waiter again, that first impression is what counts and with the multitude of fine dining establishments that my husband and I frequent and always return to, well I'd rather go with the sure thing. Vivere needs to get rid of that waiter as he is not representing the Capitanini Family well. read more

I have a mixed review about this place. First, I had the Linguine Calabrese and it was amazing. The perfect portion size. While the food was pretty good, I only gave it three stars for a couple of reasons. One, it is VERY overpriced for the food you receive. While it's good, my dish was 28 dollars. Not really worth it considering it's seafood pasta. The other thing that bothered me was the attention we got from our waiter. Me and my girlfriend are both in college, but I was taking her out for an expensive night on the town and really just wanted to make sure she had a good time. We dressed up enough for the restaurant, but it seemed that our waiter thought we wouldn't tip well or something so didn't really put a lot of attention to our table. Not only that, but the entire menu is in italian, which is really cool, but only when it's explained. If he had talked us through everything we would have had a much better experience. The only thing that made up for this were the rest of the people who worked there. We were greeted right away and the man at the door was very nice. He kept walking past our table asking if there was anything we needed. He single handedly save this review and our night. my advice is that it's worth going to for good food, but be ready to spend a lot of money and possibly not-so-good service. read more

There were several positives on our recent pre-opera visit: 1) service was great, 2) their wine director chose a very nice and reasonably priced bottle of wine for us, 3) you can leave your car with their valet if you're going to the opera/theatre, 4) my entree (a cheese ravioli with mushroom cream sauce) was excellent and our starters were pretty good. There was really only one negative but it's a biggie: the rest of the entrees were just plain bad - bad recipes, bad ingredients. I went with three other people - my husband had a wild boar pasta and the couple with us had the spinach/short rib lasagna and butternut squash ravioli. All almost inedible bad. I really wanted to like Vivere because they were so nice and it's very convenient for pre-show dining. I have no doubt that there are other good things on the menu (because mine was so good) but hard to see us going back to take our chances. read more